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The show, which debuted on September 14, 2009, is co-produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions and distributed by Sony Pictures Television Distribution, is the second Oprah spin-off series featuring a regular guest (Dr. Phil being the first), and marks the first time that Winfrey's company has partnered with another studio outside of the current CBS Television Distribution, which co-produces her series as well as her other series (assumed to be because The Dr. Oz Show is in direct competition with the Dr. Phil spinoff The Doctors, which CBS distributes). For the first four seasons, shows were taped in Studio 6A at NBC Studios in New York,[4] but vacated Rockefeller Center after NBC reclaimed the space for its Late Night franchise.[5] Beginning with season five, Dr. Oz originates from ABC Television Center East on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[6]

In the first season, the show was nominated for an Emmy in best informative talk show and Mehmet Oz received the Emmy for best talk show host. The show was renewed for a third season and launched on September 12, 2011, with a new studio set.

The show's fourth season premiered on September 10, 2012. In several markets, it moved to the timeslot that had been occupied by Oprah, which had left the air at the end of the 2011 season.

The Dr. Oz Show has a full-time in-house medical unit made up of researchers, medical producers and physicians. Stuart Linder, a noted Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, is a regular contributor on the show as well as on the web[8] The medical unit works daily with Oz and producers in developing, writing and producing show segments. The medical unit also evaluates and approves all products that appear on the show.[9]

In 2013, Oz began "OzWatch" after a number of products using his show, name, and image appeared in unsolicited e-mails and on websites. Oz considers the practice reckless and dangerous and does not endorse any product featured or use brand names.[11][12][13] Starting in May 2013, he has ended his show with: "If you receive an e-mail or any kind of direct marketing claiming to be from me selling a product with my name, my image or the show's name, you need to know it's not me! For a full list of our trusted partners, go to DoctorOz.com."

Profiling Oz in The New Yorker, Michael Specter noted instances of Oz inviting controversial guests onto his show. One example is Jeffrey M. Smith, an activist against genetically modified food. "Oz identified Smith as a scientist", Specter wrote, "but Smith has no experience in genetics or agriculture, and has no scientific degree from any institution." Specter also criticized Oz because he "seems to have moved more firmly into the realm of tenuous treatments for serious conditions." Oz replied that he sees himself as a mediator and wants to provide many differing points of view, even if they are looked down upon by the conventional medical community.[14]

Health claims made on the show have been criticized by the medical community as 54% of health recommendations were not supported by published studies. The Dr. Oz Show was also criticized in the same study for an overreliance on dietary suggestions and reluctance to provide evidence of its claims. The study warned that conflicts of interest were rarely addressed and that viewers should be skeptical of claims made on the show.[2]